Point-based risk score for managing environmental systems

• US 10,417,596 B2
• Filed: 11/01/2016
• Issued: 09/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vigilent Corporation
• Original Assignee: Vigilent Corporation
• Inventors: Varadi, Peter C., Maas, Willem, Federspiel, Clifford C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Loftis, Johnna R
• Application Number:
  US15/340,635
• Publication Number:
  US 20170046640A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,050 Days
• Field of Search: 705 728
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/32 Responding to malfunctions or emergencies
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/52 Indication arrangements, e.g. displays
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/58 using Internet communication
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/62 characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/63 Electronic processing
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/77 by controlling the speed of ventilators
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/10 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/20 Humidity
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2140/00 Control inputs relating to system states
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/20 Cooling means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/206 comprising thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5094 where the allocation takes into account power or heat criteria power management in computers in general G06F1/3203; thermal management in computers in general G06F1/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0635 Risk analysis of enterprise or organisation activities
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1498 Resource management, Optimisation arrangements, e.g. configuration, identification, tracking, physical location thermal management H05K7/20836
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20836 Thermal management, e.g. server temperature control

Abstract

Methods are provided for calculating a reserve value or a risk value for various locations in an environmentally-controlled space such as a data center, and using the reserve value or risk value to allocate environmental maintenance modules and/or load. For example, an influence model can predict a change in a sensor value at a location for a corresponding change in an operation level of an actuator of one of the environmental maintenance modules. Based on the influence model and an operation level of the actuator, a reserve value can be determined for the location. A risk value for the location can be determined using a risk metric that may use the reserve value, a current sensor value at the location, and a threshold sensor value at the location.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of using an environmental maintenance system that includes a plurality of actuators and a plurality of sensors in an environmentally-controlled space, each sensor measuring a value of a physical condition at a respective location, the method comprising:

obtaining, by a computer system, an influence model for an actuator of an environmental maintenance module, wherein the influence model provides a change in a sensor value at a respective location for a corresponding change in an operation level of the actuator, wherein the operation level quantifies a functioning property of the actuator;

for each of one or more of the locations;

for each of one or more times;

detecting, by the computer system, a current operation level for each of the actuators;

identifying, by the computer system, an operation threshold value for each of the actuators; and

calculating, by the computer system, a reserve value at the location using a reserve metric that includes the influence model, the current operation levels, and the operation threshold values, wherein an operation threshold value is a maximum achievable value for the functioning property of the actuator, wherein the reserve value indicates a maximum achievable change in the sensor value at the location, wherein the reserve metric is time-dependent; and

managing the environmental maintenance system or loads in the environmentally-controlled space based on the one or more reserve values, wherein the managing includes;

allocating a computational load to one or more server computers in the environmentally-controlled space based on the one or more reserve values by sending a first command to a first server computer to assign a first computational load to the first server computer based on the one or more reserve values.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the reserve value is defined for a location n at a time t using the formula:

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the reserve value indicates the maximum achievable change without causing a sensor value at a different location in the environmentally-controlled space to exceed a threshold.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the maximum achievable change is the smallest maximum achievable if any one environmental maintenance module in the environmentally-controlled space fails.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

for each of the one or more locations;

for each of the one or more times;

detecting, by the computer system, a current sensor value for a sensor measuring the location;

identifying, by the computer system, a sensor threshold value for the sensor; and

calculating, by the computer system, a risk value at the location using a risk metric that includes the calculated reserve value, the current sensor value, and the sensor threshold value, wherein the risk value indicates a risk of exceeding the sensor threshold value; and

providing, by the computer system, the one or more risk values for managing the environmental maintenance system or loads in the environmentally-controlled space.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the risk value is defined for a location n at a time t using the formula

risk(n,t)=Δ

T−

reserve(n,t)

wherein Δ

T is the difference between the current sensor value and the sensor threshold value at the location n at the time t, and wherein reserve(n, t) is the reserve value at the location n at the time t.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein managing loads in the environmentally-controlled space comprises determining a location of a new server computer in the environmentally-controlled space so that the risk value is minimized.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein managing loads in the environmentally-controlled space comprises allocating computational work to one or more server computers in the environmentally-controlled space so that the risk value is minimized.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein managing loads in the environmentally-controlled space comprises distributing the loads so that the risk value at each of the one or more locations is approximately equal.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein managing loads in the environmentally-controlled space includes allocating a virtual machine to one of a plurality of server computers in the environmentally-controlled space, the method comprising:

determining a risk value at each of a plurality of locations in the environment, wherein each risk value indicates a risk of exceeding a sensor threshold value at a location;

determining a risk value of each of the plurality of server computers in the environmentally-controlled space; and

allocating the virtual machine onto one of the plurality of server computers based on the risk values for the plurality of server computers.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the influence model indicates a relationship between a fan speed of an environmental maintenance module at a location and a temperature at the location, wherein the current operation levels of the actuators are current fan speeds, wherein the operation threshold values are maximum fan speeds, and wherein the maximum achievable change in the sensor value is a maximum achievable temperature decrease.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the maximum achievable change in the sensor value is a maximum achievable temperature change.

13. A computer product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium storing a plurality of instructions for controlling a computer system to perform an operation for an environmental maintenance system that includes a plurality of actuators and a plurality of sensors in an environmentally-controlled space, each sensor measuring a value of a physical condition at a respective location, the operation comprising:

obtaining an influence model for an actuator of an environmental maintenance module, wherein the influence model provides a change in a sensor value at a respective location for a corresponding change in an operation level of the actuator, wherein the operation level quantifies a functioning property of the actuator;

for each of one or more of the locations;

for each of one or more times;

detecting a current operation level for each of the actuators;

identifying an operation threshold value for each of the actuators; and

calculating a reserve value at the location using a reserve metric that includes the influence model, the current operation levels, and the operation threshold values, wherein an operation threshold value is a maximum achievable value for the functioning property of the actuator, wherein the reserve value indicates a maximum achievable change in the sensor value at the location, wherein the reserve metric is time-dependent; and

managing the environmental maintenance system or loads in the environmentally-controlled space based on the one or more reserve values, wherein the managing includes;

allocating a computational load to one or more server computers in the environmentally-controlled space based on the one or more reserve values by sending a first command to a first server computer to assign a first computational load to the first server computer based on the one or more reserve values.

14. The computer product of claim 13, wherein the reserve value is defined for a location n at a time t using the formula:

15. The computer product of claim 13, the operation further comprising:

for each of the one or more locations;

for each of the one or more times;

detecting a current sensor value for a sensor measuring the location;

identifying a sensor threshold value for the sensor; and

calculating a risk value at the location using a risk metric that includes the calculated reserve value, the current sensor value, and the sensor threshold value, wherein the risk value indicates a risk of exceeding the sensor threshold value; and

providing the one or more risk values for managing the environmental maintenance system or loads in the environmentally-controlled space.

16. The computer product of claim 15, wherein managing loads in the environmentally-controlled space includes allocating a virtual machine to one of a plurality of server computers in the environmentally-controlled space, the operation further comprising:

determining a risk value at each of a plurality of locations in the environment, wherein each risk value indicates a risk of exceeding a sensor threshold value at a location;

determining a risk value of each of the plurality of server computers in the environmentally-controlled space; and

allocating the virtual machine onto one of the plurality of server computers based on the risk values for the plurality of server computers.

17. The computer product of claim 13, wherein the influence model indicates a relationship between a fan speed of an environmental maintenance module at a location and a temperature at the location, wherein the current operation levels of the actuators are current fan speeds, wherein the operation threshold values are maximum fan speeds, and wherein the maximum achievable change in the sensor value is a maximum achievable temperature decrease.

18. An environmental maintenance system comprising:

a plurality of actuators;

a plurality of sensors, each sensor measuring a value of a physical condition at a respective location; and

one or more processors configured to;

obtaining an influence model for an actuator of an environmental maintenance module, wherein the influence model provides a change in a sensor value at a respective location for a corresponding change in an operation level of the actuator, wherein the operation level quantifies a functioning property of the actuator;

for each of one or more of the locations;

for each of one or more times;

detecting a current operation level for each of the actuators;

identifying an operation threshold value for each of the actuators; and

calculating a reserve value at the location using a reserve metric that includes the influence model, the current operation levels, and the operation threshold values, wherein an operation threshold value is a maximum achievable value for the functioning property of the actuator, wherein the reserve value indicates a maximum achievable change in the sensor value at the location, wherein the reserve metric is time-dependent; and

managing the environmental maintenance system or loads in the environmentally-controlled space based on the one or more reserve values, wherein the managing includes;

allocating a computational load to one or more server computers in the environmentally-controlled space based on the one or more reserve values by sending a first command to a first server computer to assign a first computational load to the first server computer based on the one or more reserve values.

19. The environmental maintenance system of claim 18, wherein the reserve value is defined for a location n at a time t using the formula:

20. The environmental maintenance system of claim 18, the operation further comprising:

for each of the one or more locations;

for each of the one or more times;

detecting a current sensor value for a sensor measuring the location;

identifying a sensor threshold value for the sensor; and

calculating a risk value at the location using a risk metric that includes the calculated reserve value, the current sensor value, and the sensor threshold value, wherein the risk value indicates a risk of exceeding the sensor threshold value; and

providing the one or more risk values for managing the environmental maintenance system or loads in the environmentally-controlled space.

21. The environmental maintenance system of claim 20, wherein managing loads in the environmentally-controlled space includes allocating a virtual machine to one of a plurality of server computers in the environmentally-controlled space, the operation further comprising:

determining a risk value at each of a plurality of locations in the environment, wherein each risk value indicates a risk of exceeding a sensor threshold value at a location;

determining a risk value of each of the plurality of server computers in the environmentally-controlled space; and

allocating the virtual machine onto one of the plurality of server computers based on the risk values for the plurality of server computers.